Another fine spring day

Blackthorn Spring!

The scent of the blossom is one of the first signs of spring here.

On Friday 23rd March, another very warm sunny day with no wind: Tree planting continued around the attenuation basin, a quiet occupation as it's all done by hand. The trees being planted have large root balls which need two people to move off the truck and into place.

Loudly singing robins, dunnocks and wrens were in full view on riverside tree branches, they need to sing and be seen as well at this time of the year, in order to defend territory and to attract a mate. Nest-building is carried out more furtively but the male wren at least, needs to build several nest for his mate to choose from.

Chiffchaffs were also singing loudly from the willows, the best time of the year to see them before the canopy hides them. In autumn they can easily hide amongst falling leaves, then they are away to warmer climates, although a few decide to stay over the winter.

There was again a fine view of a nuthatch visiting its nest hole and on another tree a camouflaged

treecreeper was making its was up the old damaged bark, the markings on its back merging in with the texture and colour of the bark.

Yes, the weasel seen the other day has a series of tunnels as today it was sunning itself on the bank, then darted into a hole in the earth and re-emerged out of another hole some distance away, then ran to another hole. Of course there may have been more than one weasel!

By now it was quite hot and vivid yellow/green Brimstone butterflies had appeared ranging along the new growth of plants along the river bank together with a Comma butterfly.

Turning through a bend in the river, a splashing revealed a little egret just taking off from the shallow river bed to perch on a branch in a thicket over the river, close to another little egret partly hidden by branches. They are fond of this river and must be a pair, probably the same birds which have been venturing up the Arun from Pulborough and Arundel for a year or more now.  

Other birds seen were a green woodpecker, songthrushes, blackbirds, blue and great tits, long-tailed tits, house sparrows, chaffinches.

Looking up, a smart male kestrel flew out of an oak tree where it is probably building a nest.

Wood Anemone under the old riverside oaks, appearing through the winter's fallen leaves

and Lesser Celandine flowering on the sunny river banks

Frenetic nesting along the River in March

A very fine day today with a warm start. The scene along the river was one of frenzied activity with birds flying in all directions, most carrying nest material and some carrying food indicating that they are feeding incubating mates or even hatched young. There were plenty of singing robins, wrens, great tits, chaffinches and recently arrived chiffchaffs - we'll now be hearing their chiff-chaff song every day until September or October! Some may decide to overwinter here but they will be silent until spring.

A brilliant day meant good views of the birds whilst trees and thickets are still mostly bare - a fine view if a green woodpecker flying along the river course and yaffling loudly on landing, a very active treecreeper hurrying up the branches of a riverside willow, collecting insects, ladybirds flying in to land on grasses on the banks, long-tailed tits carrying absurdly huge but light-weight bunches of nest material, a bit like trying to run carrying your duvet in your mouth. Many wrens were nest-building or visiting nests on the river banks whilst others sang to defend their territory whilst a smart, silent nuthatch could be seen visiting a carefully-made nest hole with insects gleaned from the bark of a nearby branch.

On the water, a male mallard was paddling without much hurry, perhaps his mate is incubating eggs. Only a few days ago there was noisy fight between two males on the water, with lots of splashing and chasing.

Two buzzards were circling over the trees, one of them suddenly diving into an old oak, carrying a large stick. Its mate followed quickly, perching on a branch close by, watching the nest building works.

Meadow pipits were still enjoying the areas of freshly dug earth - are they going to nest here?

The newly constructed drain outfall onto the river from the long riverside  'attenuation basin' is attracting some interest from birds, now that work on it has finished. A woodpigeon flew down onto the step where shallow water flows into the river and had a drink and just above it - then, what a surprise! A fine weasel ran across the bank above it and darted into a hole in the earth. It did not emerge, so I expect it already has tunnels in use. Red Admiral butterflies have been seen occasionally on sunny days through the winter and another was seen today but also a Comma butterfly appeared, the first of the spring on the river bank.

We leave the riverside on an optimistic note - on the construction site preparations for tree planting have started!

The same tree in March 18th, the catkins transformed.

The tree was full of blue tits feeding - what were they doing?

There were plenty of insects around or perhaps the attraction

was sweet nectar?

'Pussy Willow' catkins on February 28th grow on the Sallow,

a small type of willow, on the river bank